Woodshedding...

Tommy Emmanuel calls "woodshedding" the technique of learning a song to the degree that you know every note and nuance and then... keep playing it over and over for days until it becomes a part of you! Play nothing else except that song!

Yeah... that's a wonderful concept but... that's not what I'm doing. (Not that I wouldn't mind trying!) That being said... I feel it safe to say that I am back in "woodshedding" mode once again and it feels pretty good.

Now you need to understand that woodshedding in my situation is not just referring to my guitar. Oh, no... I have a bass as well as a keyboard to work with. But before I could begin to get into any of those instruments I had to begin woodshedding my P.A. and recording system! Oh yeah... spend a little time away from knobs, sliders and cord patches and you can find yourself lost in a sea of madness!

I must say that it only took me the better part of one and half afternoons to remember how the system of mics, instruments, effect pedals, mixers, amps, etc. actually worked (and that included discovering and removing a 60 cycle power hum in one of the connections)! Then I was able to actually start working with musical instruments. Working being the operative term here. A musician friend of mine loves to remind me of his favorite sayings, "If you're not working on your chops... you're losing them!" I've lost a few but they are making their way back to me along with some new chops as well.

So... that's where I am today. The studio is back online and functioning and I'm getting some practicing done. I was even able to get a rough version of one of my tunes recorded for good buddy in California. Will wonders never cease?